BY JONATHAN SHIKES, @COLOBEERMAN

Hi Stuffed readers,

The Denver Food + Wine Festival kicks off today with the first of three events, a wine seminar from glass company Riedel. That will be followed by the Shake + Brake Showdown, a cocktail and food-truck competition, on Thursday. And finally, the main event: the Grand Tasting, a true feast and celebration of local restaurants -- on the Tivoli Quad. A major fundraiser for the Colorado Restaurant Association, the Grand Tasting is a great way to sample the delights from well-known and well-loved eateries and chefs around the region, including some made famous by Top Chef or James Beard. Get information at denverfoodandwine.com.

EDITOR'S PICKS

Craving poutine? Here’s where to find the Canadian staple around Denver

TIP POOL

Are you ready for pumpkin spice season?

MORE HEADLINES

• Boulder spot makes Bon Appétit’s list of the best new restaurants in America

• Pumpkin Spice Latte and fall favorites are back at Starbucks

• LoHi getting new restaurant, store near ice cream stand in Tamburello building

• Cherry Creek cheese shop’s new owner relaunching it in Golden Triangle

EAT THIS

Arty Express

Cardboard-thin burger patties weren't a thing a decade ago -- at least as far as I knew. In fact, the best hamburgers in town were the thickest and juiciest ones. But smashburgers -- all beefy flavor, crispy-singed edges and multiple layers -- have exploded in popularity, and there is a pretty well-established pantheon of the tastiest in metro Denver. One of the newer entries on that list would have to be Arty Express (also called Arty's Burger), which shares space with New Image Brewing's original taproom in Olde Town Arvada.

Owned by AJ Shreffler, the same chef who runs Little Arthur's Hoagies on East 7th Avenue in Denver, Arty's features half a dozen smash burgers on its menu. I tried the most straightforward one: a double American wit, made with Cooper sharp American cheese and caramelized onion on a house-made potato bun. ($16, although a single is $10). The burger was miraculous, but the fries ($4.50) also took me by surprise, as I've been in a French fry desert lately. Of course, a meal here isn't complete without a beer, and New Image makes some of the best in the state. One of its oldest, and still my favorite of theirs, is Coriolis Effect, a hazy IPA made with tropically flavored hops from New Zealand. It's possible I had two.

5614 Olde Wadsworth Blvd., Arvada; instagram.com/artys_burgers_plus